Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Kids: How to Manage Breakfasts for Your Younglings

Having breakfast is a must. At least, scientists claim that, and consider breakfast the most important meal daily. In children, breakfast is vital because the growing organism requires regular and complex admission of nutrients for its development. Besides, in kids, when they eat healthy, their metabolism is rapid, and they need to eat more than seniors.

At the same time, not all breakfast meals are good for kids. So, let’s decide on the best breakfast recipes and the balances to maintain in your kids’ breakfast meals.

Scientific Background of the Importance of Kids’ Breakfasts and Their Nutritive Qualities

Do you know that 1 in 5 US kids and adolescents have obesity? The CDC typically relates growing obesity levels in younglings with skipping breakfasts or eating unhealthy meals for breakfasts. Besides the risks of obesity, improper breakfast intake is related to such diseases in kids as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, adiposity, etc.

In case a kid has no breakfast, it impacts overall well-being, decreases energy levels, and leads to a lack of nutrients and their improper distribution. Let’s add to this the pleasure a kid experiences when eating good and yummy meals for breakfast.

Yet, what is breakfast from the scientific point of view?

• It’s the first meal intake, which typically takes part in the first 2-3 hours after waking up in the morning.
• It is consumed at any location but typically at home.
• It should contain at least 20% of daily energy intake.
• As for worldwide recommendations for breakfast macronutrient balances, it should contain 55-75% carbs, 15-30% of fats, and 10-15% of proteins.

Let’s take these definitions as facts and base the ideas of healthy breakfasts on them.

Which Types of Meals Are Good for Kids’ Breakfasts (and Which Should Be Banned)

Starting with the type of meals, which are good for breakfast, we shouldn’t also forget about overall calorie levels. Here we have to consider a couple of things like as follows:

• Age of a kid as toddlers, pre-schoolers, teens, and young adults have different needs for calories.
• Activity levels. If your kid is engaged in active sports, has multiple training weekly, and is quite an active person, you need to offer higher calorie levels for breakfast.

Typically, for kids 6–12 years old, an overall daily calorie intake should be 1,800-2,000, thus, the breakfast should provide at least 400-500 of them. Besides that, you should also keep in mind your family’s cultural traditions. For example, children of LATAM origin often have beans or tortillas for breakfast, while New England descendants are not used for such breakfasts.

Then let’s consider which products should be included in your kids’ breakfasts (and which should be banned at all).

The Best Products for Breakfasts for Kids

• Eggs are the #1 product for a full-fledged breakfast. According to a study by the University of Pennsylvania, high-protein products keep kids full longer.
• Cereals are traditional breakfast meals in the US. So, they logically are included on the list due to the high levels of fiber they provide.
• Dairy products are also good due to the balance of fats and proteins in them.
• Various fruits are good due to their high glucose levels which supply kids with energy for the whole day.
• White meat and fish can come in handy if a kid is a meat-lover.

As for the beverages, it is better to offer fresh water, whole milk (in case your kid has no allergy or lactose intolerance) or lactose-free milk, herbal teas, black tea, or caffeine-free beverages like hot chocolate or caffeine-free coffee drinks.

Top Worst Meals Ideas for Kids

• Processed or semi-processed food which contains preservants, trans-fats, and unhealthy ingredients.
• Too heavy meals, which suit better for lunch.
• Canned food.
• Fast food and most types of ready-made convenience food like chips, crisps, french fries, etc.
• Sweet carbonated drinks as they have extra sugar levels.

A Bit of Practical Ideas: 10 Breakfasts You Can Offer Your Children

Theory is good but what about practice? Let’s collect the best examples of kids’ breakfasts for your healthy meal planning and inspiration. In our rate, we considered both EI recommendations by the CDC, the simplicity of cooking, and the tastes, which should meet children's preferences.

We also provided numeration, yet, each meal on this list is equal, so consider it to be used just for convenience.

1. Egg meals like scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, and sunny-side-up eggs. All of them are rich in proteins and quite simple to cook. You can add to your scrambled or sunny-side-up eggs some toast, bacon or ham if your kid’s activity is high.
2. French omelet and similar meals which include mixed eggs, milk or dairy products, and baked or simmered are also great protein sources. To make this meal diverse, you can cook it with grated cheese on top, spinach leaves, or some ham slices added. In case your kids are fans of Italian cuisine, you can cook a frittata instead of an omelet. The difference is you have to add some grated or diced vegetables to the egg mix before baking (for example, grated potatoes, zucchini, and tomatoes). Besides, you can take our Polish egg bowl for the fastest breakfast prep.
3. Pancakes are kids’ favorites. Thus, offering them for breakfast is a good idea. If you are concerned about the healthiness of pancakes, just offer children their rich-in-protein option. For example, in 95Nutrition, we have sugar cookie protein pancakes and blueberry protein pancakes your kids may appreciate.
4. Cereals and RTE breakfasts are not the best idea but you can upgrade them by adding dairy products instead of milk to them, some seeds and nuts like linen seeds, sesame, walnuts, or pecans. Besides, you can substitute RTE cereal breakfasts with healthier granola mixes or muesli.
5. Avocado toasts are real stapled HLS meals. If your kids eat avocados, cook them various toasts with this product. Avocado matches perfectly with steamed or smoked salmon, baked chicken breast slices, boiled eggs, shrimp, and hard cheeses.
6. Sandwiches can be healthy too! If you want your kid to eat their loved sandwiches, make them healthy by cooking them of whole-wheat or unleavened bread with cream cheese instead of processed sauces, hard cheese, cucumber slices, and protein sources like tofu, baked chicken breast, baked or steamed fish slices, or boiled veal slices. You can also try our 95’s bacon breakfast sandwich.
7. Cottage cheese dishes. Some kids love cottage cheese mixed with fruits and cream, others may eat this healthy product in the form of a whipped salty deep with herbs and greenery. Besides, you can add it to your pancakes, or cook it in a manner of baked cheesecake.
8. Wraps are also good for breakfast as they are diverse and they are typically loved by kids. You can wrap a diversity of sliced vegetables in it, meat or fish slices, some sauces and lettuce leaves. For your inspiration, you can try recipes of Turkish doner, Greek gyros or souvlaki wraps, Mexican fajitas or chicken and bean wraps and even classy tacos. If you want to try truly healthy wrap meals, you are welcome to order our Breakfast Chorizo Wrap.
9. Muffins are what all kids love. Yet, instead of buying processed muffins or cooking them from all-purpose flour with lots of sugar, you can try salty veggie egg muffins or cook them from protein powder and almond flour for the best results.
10. Yogurts are also loved by kids. Thus, you can use this product as the base for your children’s breakfast. The simplest way is to mix yogurt with berries, fruit slices, and nuts. Also, cooking a yogurt parfait or frozen yogurt is OK.

Kids require specific breakfast choices which should be yummy, balanced and nutritive. Today, the necessity of breakfast is proved by healthcare authorities and eating it regularly for kids is a must to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Breakfasts are 1/5 of the daily energy ratio for kids and they should provide a balance of carbs, proteins, and fats. At once, by offering your children delicious and healthy meals for breakfast you develop their taste preferences, make them familiar with various cooking traditions, and enhance their outlook.

Of course, cooking breakfasts every day can be a daunting task for working parents, that’s why our breakfast menu is at your service. You are welcome to order the healthiest and the most diverse breakfast meals in 95 Nutrition and get them for your kids with free shipping. All you have to do then is to heat them in your micro and serve it in the morning to feed your kids.